Some meditators become bored and just sit to sit without actually trying to meditate. But the rewarding challenge of meditation is to use every technique at our disposal to continue focusing. Do you have trouble falling asleep on most nights? Say no more—this calming podcast will have you drifting to dreamland without a hitch.
Any form of practice contains some discomfort and pain, but it’s not supposed to be torture. Whenever you notice that a thought, feeling, or perception has taken your attention away from the breath, just say to yourself, “thinking,†and return to following the breath. No need to judge yourself when this happens; just gently note it and attend to your breath and posture. To get started, download a binaural beats meditation audio, put on a headset, and listen. If you have a serious mental disorder or brain injury, discuss this with your doctor before giving binaural beats a try. There is some concern that listening to binaural beats could be a problem for anyone who has epilepsy, an irregular heartbeat, or wears a pacemaker.
The Calmer You Podcast features Chloe Brotheridge, author of The Anxiety Solution and Brave New Girl. Most Western practitioners find that a combination of meditation and psychology is the most effective way to liberate ourselves from trauma, bad habits, and negative feelings. While meditation provides insight into the nature of thoughts and emotions, psychotherapy engages with their substance. If you’re interested in meditating for mental health, talk to a medical professional. It’s not bad at all—in fact, it’s perfectly natural.
That’s why the guided meditations from Meditation Minis Podcast are so popular. In 10 minutes or less, host Cher Hamilton will help you find new ways to calm your anxiety, overcome negative thinking, reduce stress, and feel calmer. Not only that, the Ten Percent Happier app has teachers that will walk you through the basics, one breath at a time. Promising to help you enjoy your life more, this guided meditation podcast aims to increase your capacity for joy, gratitude, and love—no magical thinking required. You can practice mindfulness meditation on your own anytime and anywhere. But listening to basic guided meditations can also be helpful, especially when getting started.
Fall asleep each night listening to whispered readings that include soothing meditations, interesting stories, and tranquil poems designed to help you relax, find calm, and enjoy a peaceful night of sleep. Finding peace and calm in the chaos of life can be a real challenge. So-called meditation music is meant to be relaxing, and of course meditation does help you to relax too. But meditation goes beyond relaxation and helps us to be more alert and focused. It also helps us to do things like cultivate kindly or to deeply question the nature of our experience.
Though meditating on your own is an essential part of a complete practice, the steady guidance of an experienced teacher can be invaluable, especially as you’re getting started. Our minds wander so easily, and the clear instructions of a teacher can help bring us back to the present moment. Mindfulness meditation isn’t about letting your thoughts wander. But it isn’t about trying to empty your mind, either.
Collectively we have experienced dramatic change over the past few weeks. It's okay if you haven't figured out how to be and take care of yourself quite yet. Please be patient with yourself as you adapt to find more ease and balance. We recommend listing to music as a gentle form of self-care when life feels hard.
Untangle hosts Patricia Karpas and Ariel Garten discuss everything from mindfulness practices to the best foods for brain health, and invite experts to get in on their conversations. While some episodes do include meditation tips, the podcast also teaches you how to train your brain in ways that don't require repeating mantras or staying in one position for a very long time. The phenomena of binaural beats and brainwave entrainment can induce the same mental state associated with traditional meditation practice, but quickly. The Mindfulness Meditation podcast from the Rubin Museum of Art takes listeners on a mindfulness journey that uses art to teach about relaxation, spirituality, health, and healing. Each week, the museum invites a prominent meditation teacher to join them for a focused talk and a guided meditation centered around a specific piece of art. The Sleep Whispers podcast features weekly, 30- to 40-minute episodes designed to help listeners get more ZZZ’s.
Meditation is considered a type of mind-body relaxation music complementary medicine. Meditation can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. It's simple and inexpensive, and it doesn't require any special equipment. Don't get too caught up in what you must do, though. Take the time to assess your life and ask yourself if you feel fulfilled. If you don't, try to figure out what you can do to be more fulfilled and enjoy your life more.